Date of Award

5-1-2005

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis

First Advisor

Dr. Gert-Jan de Vreede

Abstract

In the recent years, there has been a tremendous amount of exposure of Knowledge Management (KM) and value creation. Organizations are beginning to understand the need to capitalize all the available information, tacit and explicit, as most of the organizations are operating in a global and competitive economy. One such organizational concept that can capture both tacit and explicit knowledge is Communities of Practice. Communities of Practice (CoPs) are seen as a mechanism for knowledge sharing and learning across and within institutions, based on the common ground of a professional discipline, a skill, a topic, or a business process. Although CoPs have been receiving much attention recently and could play a critical role in knowledge sharing, it is very important for organizations to find out if it is viable before they invest their time and money in building it. The objective of my research is to layout the frameworks for designing and evaluating CoP’s before launching them. The research is carried out through an in-depth study on a Community of Risk and Control Self-Assessment (R&CSA) facilitators at International Financial Services (IFS). The practical goal is to identify and prototype some of the key Community of Practice processes for the R&CSA approach. The design framework can lead the coordinator through a series of steps to gather the requirements in a short amount of time. The evaluation framework will measure the outcome and tell us if launching a CoP is desirable.

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the Department of ISQA and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MS in MIS University of Nebraska at Omaha. Copyright 2005, Anita Chakrapani

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